


sugar and smoke rings

by inlovewithimpossibility



Series: smoaknhawke backstory [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, First Meetings, Minor Violence, Pre-S7 Flashforwards, Street Fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:48:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21873202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inlovewithimpossibility/pseuds/inlovewithimpossibility
Summary: He never would have believed the full story if it hadn’t come directly from the lips of the man he trusts most in the world. The legendary vigilantes Green Arrow and Overwatch had a daughter no one knew about?[How Connor meets Mia, pre-s7 flashforwards]
Relationships: Connor Hawke/Mia Smoak, John Diggle/Lyla Michaels, Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Series: smoaknhawke backstory [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1592068
Comments: 22
Kudos: 117





	sugar and smoke rings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [brittanyedison](https://archiveofourown.org/users/brittanyedison/gifts).



> For Maya, who ships SmoaknHawke harder than us all 😉  
> Kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated!

Connor isn't too sure about this assignment of his.

His dad said that it's important, a favour to an old friend, someone he trusts as deeply as family. Connor knows his dad doesn’t take that lightly. His dad doesn’t trust easily, doesn’t let many people in, so Connor knows from the get-go that whatever this is will be incredibly important to his dad.

And if it’s important to his parents, then it’s important to Connor.

He never would have believed the full story if it hadn’t come directly from the lips of the man he trusts most in the world. The legendary vigilantes Green Arrow and Overwatch had a daughter no one knew about? It sounds like the sort of thing people whisper in the streets of Star City, praying the heroes who once defended them will rise again to bring them out of the nightmare their city has become.

But it’s apparently true and it’s Connor’s job to keep an eye on her from afar, keep her out of trouble. He didn’t exactly join Knightwatch to be on babysitting duty but it’s for his dad. He just needs to remember that. After everything he’s been through with JJ, the last thing Connor wants to do is cause his father more stress.

The dingy way into the fight club smells of blood and sweat and the noise as Connor enters is almost deafening. Mia’s apparently been in Star City for a week now and Knightwatch has only just been able to track her down to here. The girl’s good at hiding, he has to give her that.

The place is packed with people, many of them burly men who Connor has to dart around to avoid being walked right into. They’re gathered around a large cage in the middle, cheering on the competitors within. Connor has to squeeze through the crowd, darting underneath and around men with arms even bigger than his dad’s, but he finally lays eyes on who’s in the cage.

_Bingo._

There, mid-flight across the cage as she launches herself at a man three times her size (at least) is the girl who’s had an entire subsection of a world-class secret agency stumped for a week. She’s a perfect match for the one picture her mother would hand over of her, only after making Connor’s dad promise he wouldn’t let anyone he wouldn’t swear on her life he trusts look at it. Long, blonde curly hair swings wildly around her head and her lithe form allows to quickly swarm her attacker.

The way she fights… it’s almost feral. Whatever Connor was expecting, it certainly wasn’t this. His dad warned him that she was well trained but for some reason, Connor couldn’t get the idea of this pampered, delicate, rich girl out his head.

It’s clear now that Mia is anything but.

She’s deadly and within seconds, the man is unconscious on the floor. Mia looks down at him with a smirk, spinning as she takes in the cheers that erupt from the crowds around the cage. She wipes her mouth across her bare arm, before turning to spit on the floor as the people continue to scream. As they quiet a little, Connor works out what it is that they’re chanting.

_Blackstar._

Seems like their vigilante legacy has already gotten herself a codename.

When Connor looks back at the cage, Mia is already gone.

“Shit.” He hisses under his breath, trying to see over the crowd to try and find where she went but the clump is closing in, anticipating the next fight and it’s all he can do to duck out the way so he doesn’t get swept up in the wave as well.

By the time he’s out of the throng, she’s nowhere to be seen. Even a trip up to the balcony where he has to sneak past three huge guards proves fruitless. From up there, he can see there’s not a single long blonde lock in the place. Mia’s gone and so is his lead.

“Shit.” He repeats as he heads to the door. He’ll have to head back to headquarters and try again tomorrow. His dad is not going to happy but at the very least, he can confirm that he saw her and she’s alive. That should lessen his dad’s worry a little.

(He’s been talking as if he’s only worried about Felicity being worried but Connor can tell that his dad really cares about this kid too and Connor totally gets it, the idea of a young girl on the streets of Star City is not a pleasant one. He supposes much less so when it’s the kid of two people you consider your siblings.)

The quickest way back to the checkpoint is through the marketplace but the idea of running into JJ physically repulses Connor right now, so he heads around the old warehouse, through the streets that are starting to look more and more like slums every day.

He’s almost to the checkpoint when he hears it. It’s a sound that goes unnoticed too often in these parts, a sound that makes the locals turn their heads away in case they might get caught up in it too.

But Connor’s not a local and he’s always been taught to help where he can. So when he hears the cries of a young girl asking for help, he runs towards it.

Following the sound leads him through the streets to a small clearing where a girl no older than thirteen is surrounded by three older teenage boys looming over her.

Just as Connor’s about to step in, there’s a loud shout of “HEY!” from behind the boys before a small figure with a familiar mass of blonde hair appears, jumping the one in the middle. Connor takes it as his moment to act, rushing in front of the kid.

“Go! Run!” He tells her and the poor thing stands frozen for a minute before she seems to realise what’s happening. She loops her bag over her shoulder tighter and rushes down one of the streets leading off the clearing. One of the attackers moves to follow her and Connor springs forward, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him backwards. The guy whirls around but Connor’s quicker and with an elbow to the nose and a punch across the face, he goes tumbling to the ground.

It seems he got the least trained of the trio because when he turns around, it’s to see his companion caught between the other two. One of them has one of her arms bent uncomfortably behind her back and she’s doing a pretty good job of fighting off the other with her other arm and legs but with her captor also attacking from behind, she’s fighting a losing battle.

From this position, Connor can see that this is definitely Mia and he’d be lying if he said his heart didn’t leap a little. He would’ve gone back and grovelled to his dad but he didn’t really want to.

She shakes her long hair back from her face and Connor can see that her green eyes are blazing. She’s got a real determination behind them, there’s fight there, and Connor is impressed to see that even as she’s falling, she’s resolved to keep fighting.

_Must be that vigilante blood running through her veins._

Her captor reaches into his pocket and Connor moves quickly then, knowing whatever was coming out of it won’t be good. He flicks out his collapsible bo staff and knocks the assailant’s hand away, drawing his attention and forcing him to release his grip on Mia. With her hand free, she goes full flight on the other attacker, leaving Connor with her holder.

It’s a game of dodging and ducking and darting out the way but Connor finally finds an opening and manages to surprise tackle him around the waist, flipping him over his shoulder and into a heap on the floor. There’s a loud bang next to him and Connor turns to see Mia on back, legs around the neck of her opponent as she takes the air from his lungs. He finally passes out and Mia rolls away, staying on the floor as she catches her breath.

“Whoa, you okay there?” Connor questions, moving over to her but Mia puts out her hand, stopping him from getting too close.

“I’m fine. I had that.” She tells him, still kind of out of breath and Connor smirks, shaking his head. His dad warned him she might be a little obstinate.

_‘If she’s anything like her father. Or her mother for that matter.’_

“Sure you did. I’m Connor.” He smiles, extending his hand out to help her off the floor. She looks at it dubiously, raising an eyebrow as she turns her attention to him with an unimpressed expression.

“Yeah, I don’t care.” She states dryly, standing up without the assistance of his hand. She doesn’t even spare him a look as she takes off around the corner and Connor scrambles to catch up with her.

“You shouldn’t be out here. Weren’t you taught not to stay out alone after dark?” he questions and watches as she freezes for a second, heaving a long sigh before she speeds up.

“Hmm, I was also taught not to talk to strangers but here we are.” She counters in that same dry tone, adjusting her jacket on her shoulders. Her t-shirt’s covered in blood and is starting to soak up the light rainfall that seems to be a permanent feature of Star City nowadays.

“If you told me your name, we wouldn’t be strangers. We’d be acquaintances.” Connor tries. He knows he’s failing at this, badly, but he can’t go back to headquarters and face his dad knowing he left this… prodigy alone on the streets.

Mia suddenly stops, turning to look at him with a dry, apathetic expression. Her eyes travel up and down his frame as she crosses her arms over her chest, lips pursed and an eyebrow raised. “And what makes you think I want to be… acquaintances with you?”

He’ll give her this, she’s got the bravado down pat but there are kinks in her armour too and the way her nose crinkles as she approaches a small notch in the wall lined with a few wet sleeping bags and pathetic excuses for pillows is one of them.

“You’re what… sixteen?” he questions, following her. He knows he’s wrong, his dad gave him all the information Felicity gave him. He knows her age but if he can rile her up, she might break and let him get her off these streets.

“Eighteen. Which means I’m an adult. Which means I don’t need a babysitter, _Connor_.” She states his name with a sickly sweet tone and a false smile to match as she swings her body into the notch, pulling her legs up in a way that cannot be comfortable. “You can go now.”

“You’re really going to sleep here?” Connor questions, looking up and down the street dubiously. He’s seen at least five rats and the people don’t look as less shady, eyeing Connor up quizzically and leering uncomfortably. It’s really not the sort of place he’d feel comfortable leaving anyone alone in, let alone a pretty, barely legal girl who’s true identity would make her a target for almost everyone in this area of town.

“Aww, are you worried about me?” Mia asks, pushing her lips out in a fake pout as she tilts her head in a teasing tone. 

“These streets are dangerous. You’re exactly the kind of target people look for.” Connor sighs, his hands falling to his hips. It irritates him the way Mia rolls her eyes in response but she does finally swing her legs down and turn to face him properly.

“Didn’t I just prove to you I can handle myself?” She questions, gesturing back the way they just came and Connor sighs. She’s a great fighter but she’s so confident that she can ward off anything that Connor’s worried she’ll let her guard down and leave herself vulnerable to attack.

“Doesn’t mean you should have to. Listen, there’s an abandoned office building not far from here. It’s not a bed but there’s a couch.” He offers, deciding it’s best to just shoot his shot. It’s already late and his dad will be calling for an update soon if he doesn’t get her somewhere safe.

“How can I be sure that you’re not just telling me that so you can try to kill me?” She questions obstinately, pursing her lips again and Connor smirks.

“Something tells me I wouldn’t get very far.” He counters with a chuckle and Mia stalls for a second before she smirks, tilting her head cockily.

“Damn straight.”

There’s a brief lull and Mia’s façade softens just for a second. But there, in that small moment, her smirk becomes a smile and Connor can see the girl beneath the bravado. Her long eyelashes flutter a little and her eyes, which are a brilliant green, catch the artificial light of the nearby flickering lamppost. For just a moment, her armour wears away and Connor see what he knows she is; a scared, eighteen-year-old girl, away from home for the first time.

He doesn’t know what it is, a need to help his dad or just his need to help others, but he can’t leave her here. He won’t.

“You’re doing a pretty good job of this girl from the streets bravado but I know people. You’re not from around here and you’re scared. You miss whatever it is you left at home. You’re wondering whether coming here was a good idea after all.”

Connor keeps his voice level, tilting his head as he softens his expression and his voice. And Mia?

She falters.

She covers it up quickly, swallowing and squaring off her shoulders as she goes on the defensive. But it was there, Connor saw it. He’s gotten through to her.

“You don’t know me.” She tells him harshly, her jaw tightening as she stares him down, but there’s a waiver in her voice that tells Connor he’s hit the nail on the head.

“Really?”

“I’m not scared.” She bites but Connor holds her gaze, crossing his own arms over his chest.

“Okay, maybe not but you’re worried.” He presses and she huffs, tearing their eyes apart as she swallows heavily and looks down at the floor.

It takes a long while. Connor watches as her mind obviously races, the cogs whirring as she tries to discern whether this is a good idea. But finally, _finally,_ after the longest few minutes of Connor’s life, she turns to the wall behind her and knocks away a few bricks. Tugging out a dust-covered bag, she slings it over her shoulder and walks over to him.

“Did you say there was food at this place?” She questions casually and Connor has to resist the urge to whoop loudly. Instead, he settles for a smirk as they head back down the street they came.

“There can be. Do you like Chinese?” He questions and Mia nods.

“It’s only the best takeout.” She declares and Connor smirks, raising an eyebrow.

“Now that is a bold statement…” He trails off, mindful of the fact she still hasn’t told him her name.

“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that.” She tells him with a smirk before adjusting her grimy jacket again. “Mia.”

Connor grins as she finally relents. It’s not as if it’s information he doesn’t already know but it’s a nice victory for him all the same. “You got a last name?”

“Don’t remember you giving me one of those.” She counters and Connor chuckles, raising his hands in surrender.

“True. Alright, then Mia, nice to meet you.” He tells her and extends his hand once more.

“I’ll discern that once I’m sure you’re not trying to kill me.” She snarks, walking past his hand again. Despite her cold nature, Connor can’t find it in himself to do anything other than smirk as he jogs to catch up with her.

There’s something about this one.

Once they make it to the office building and Mia heads into one of the other rooms to clean up a little, Connor takes out his phone and pulls up his conversation with his dad.

_Got her safe. Still undercover. Might have to stay here for a while._

_Good job, son._

_What’s she like?_

_She’s an enigma, that’s for sure._

_Wouldn’t expect anything less with her genetics. Keep her safe, kid, and thank you._

_You got it, Dad._

What Connor can’t comprehend at that moment, less than an hour after meeting the small, blonde firecracker that is Mia Smoak, is just how much that meeting changes his life. It leads to adventures beyond his comprehension, friendships he never thought possible, and a connection between him and Mia that runs deeper than anything he’s ever known.


End file.
